Cluster
Couronne d'Or
Golden Crown at the route's head
Village · Bas-Rhin
Kirchheim
A “Golden Crown” wine village 2 km south of Marlenheim — royal-palace history and the birthplace of Mary's Adèle Wohlfrom.
From Marlenheim
~2 km
South, in the Molsheim canton
Population
~600–685
Small agricultural commune
Wine
Amberg slope
Maize and vineyards
The village
Kirchheim (67520; historic postal references also cite 67240; ~600–685 inhabitants) is a small Alsatian wine commune in the canton of Molsheim (Bas-Rhin), ~2 km south of Marlenheim (source: Holley-family.pdf; Holley Family Tree.ged; mary-heritiage-alsace.md). It is grouped with Marlenheim and Nordheim as part of the “Golden Crown” (Couronne d'Or) at the head of the Alsace Wine Route (source: Holley-family.pdf).
The village was called “Chilcheim” in 674 when, by tradition, the Merovingian king Dagobert II established a royal palace here — the origin of both the “Couronne d'Or” name and the local Fête du Roi Dagobert; archaeological tombs attest the royal presence. Kirchheim was historically the mother-parish for the area, so Marlenheim's dead were buried here before the 16th century (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md). The well-regarded organic Domaine Bechtold is based here (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
What to see
- 01Roi Dagobert palace siteThe royal-palace ground and archaeological tombs.
- 02Fête du Roi DagobertLocal festival recalling the Merovingian king.
- 03The parish churchMother-parish of the area.
- 04Amberg vineyard walksQuiet slopes above the village.
Eat, taste & stay
Taste · organic
Domaine Bechtold
Brut Nature, Pinot Noir, Riesling
Stay · gîte
Gîte du vignoble Bechtold
Lodging in the village
Mary's family
Mary's Wohlfrom ancestral village
Kirchheim is the home of Mary's Wohlfrom ancestors on the Groh line. Her great-great-grandmother Adèle Wohlfrom (b. 30 January 1846), mother of Marie Groh, had her birth registered before the deputy mayor of Kirchheim; her father Laurent Wohlfrom, a farmer-carpenter, was born ~1806 and died here in 1850. The Wohlfrom name recurs throughout the Kirchheim records, digitized at archives67.alsace.eu.
Our notesCrown & cradle
A quiet Golden Crown wine village with royal-palace roots and a deep family tie — the Wohlfrom birthplace just south of Marlenheim. Pair it with the Groh sites and a Bechtold tasting.
Where the Wohlfrom line begins.
§From the wiki
Kirchheim (67520; historic postal references also cite 67240; ~600–685 inhabitants) is a small Alsatian wine commune in the canton of Molsheim (Bas-Rhin), ~2 km south of Marlenheim (source: Holley-family.pdf; Holley Family Tree.ged; mary-heritiage-alsace.md). It is grouped with Marlenheim and Nordheim as part of the "Golden Crown" (Couronne d'Or) at the head of the Alsace Wine Route (source: Holley-family.pdf). The village was called "Chilcheim" in 674 when, by tradition, the Merovingian king Dagobert II established a royal palace here — the origin of both the "Couronne d'Or" name and the local Fête du Roi Dagobert; archaeological tombs attest the royal presence. Kirchheim was historically the mother-parish for the area, so Marlenheim's dead were buried here before the 16th century — relevant for very early records (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
Family connection
Kirchheim is the home of Mary's Wohlfrom ancestors — her great-great- and 3rd-great-grandparents on the Groh line (source: Holley Family Tree.ged):
- Adèle Wohlfrom (great-great-grandmother), b. 30 January 1846, mother of Marie Groh. Her 1846 birth certificate was registered before Jean Louis Geiger, deputy mayor of Kirchheim (source: Holley-family.pdf).
- Laurent Wohlfrom (3rd-great-grandfather), a farmer/carpenter born ~1806 and died 29 January 1850, both at Kirchheim (67240); his wife Thérèse Bernhard (source: Holley Family Tree.ged; Holley-family.pdf).
The Wohlfrom name recurs throughout the Kirchheim records (source: Holley-family.pdf). See Groh / Wohlfromm Family of Marlenheim.
> Note: The Ancestry GED lists Adèle's birthplace as Marlenheim, but her 1846 birth certificate was registered at Kirchheim and her father lived and died here — so Kirchheim is the more reliable birthplace (source: Holley-family.pdf; Holley Family Tree.ged). The heritage report flags that her exact 1846 birthplace should be verified directly in the Kirchheim registers online, and/or via the mairie (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md). Note the Groh–Wohlfrom marriage (20 April 1868) was recorded at the Marlenheim town hall, so that act sits in Marlenheim's état civil, not Kirchheim's.
Civil records: Mairie de Kirchheim, 27 rue du Général de Gaulle, 67520 Kirchheim; tel 03 88 87 51 13; mairie.kirchheim@orange.fr. Older état civil is digitized at archives67.alsace.eu as for the other Couronne d'Or (the "Golden Crown") communes (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
Visiting
Kirchheim sits within walking/short-drive distance of the Groh family sites in Marlenheim, making it an easy add-on when visiting the start of the wine route (source: Holley-family.pdf). It is a small, largely agricultural commune (maize, vineyards on the "Amberg" slope); the parish church dates to 1834 (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
- Wine: Domaine Bechtold — organic, converting to biodynamics; well-regarded Brut Nature, Pinot Noir and Riesling "Silberberg" (reserve ahead). The village also offers the Gîte du vignoble Bechtold for lodging (source: mary-heritiage-alsace.md).
- Heritage: the Roi Dagobert royal-palace site, archaeological tombs, and quiet vineyard walks on the Amberg.